Nirupa Roy

Nirupa Roy (born Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsara; 4 January 1931 – 13 October 2004) was an Indian actress who worked in Hindi films. She mainly played motherly roles and was dubbed the "Queen of Misery" in Hindi film circles, due to her portrayals of tragedy and sorrow. Roy was active from 1946 to 1999, appeared in over 250 films, and won three Filmfare Awards throughout her career, and was nominated a total of 4 times. In 2004, Roy received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

Not much is known about Roy's early life and childhood, because she rarely mentions it. Roy was born as Kokila Kishorechandra Bulsarain the village of Kalwada, Bulsar District (now Valsad, Gujarat). As a child, her family would call her 'Chibi'. She married Kamal Roy at the age of 15 and moved to Mumbai. Soon after, she entered the film industry using her married name, Nirupa Roy.

In 1946, Roy and her husband responded to an advertisement in a Gujarati paper looking for actors. She was selected and started her acting career with the Gujarati film Ranakdevi (1946). She then acted in her first Hindi film Amar Raj (1946), in the same year.

Her most popular films include Do Bigha Zamin (1953), Deewar (1975), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), and Amar Akbar Anthony (1979). She initially rose to fame by playing characters in historical films of the 1940s and 50s. In Har Har Mahadev, she played the role of Parvati Devi and the film was the top grosser of the year. Her image of a goddess was so strong, that people would visit her home and seek her blessings.

She frequently co-starred with actors such as Trilok Kapoor (with whom she played in eighteen movies), Bharat Bhushan, Balraj Sahni, and Ashok Kumar.

In the 1970s, her role as mother to the characters played by Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor made her name synonymous to the impoverished suffering mother. Her role in Deewaar (1975), especially the iconic dialogue "Mere paas maa hai", became a cultural touchstone and is still cited today.

She had two children with her husband Kamal, named Yogesh and Kiran Roy. In the years following her death, they engaged into a dispute over Roy's property and belongings, which has received much attention throughout news and media.

On 13 October 2004, Roy suffered a cardiac arrest in Mumbai, and died at the age of 73.[ 11]

Several tributes and articles have been made in Roy's memory.[ 12] Her dialogues from the film Deewaar became iconic,[ 13] and her acting in the film along with her other notable films are considered to be a landmark in Hindi cinema.[ 14]